Joy that lasts
Philippians 1:1-11
This sermon was birthed by prayer and some resources from Sermon central contributors
Introduction-
I think it would be safe to say most people want to be happy.
We don’t set out to be miserable, we don’t enjoy being sad.
I think all of us would like to know and find the secret to happiness.
I want to talk to you about joy.
I know some people who always have a smile on their face and then I know some who never seem to be able to smile.
I know some people who have gone through more than I could ever imagine, and yet when they talk to you, you get this positive and encouraging attitude that just seems to brighten your day.
Others, by the time they are done infecting you with the world is after me attitude, you walk away and feel like you need to take a quick shower to wash the negative off.
Question-What is the difference?
Everyone has a bad day.
Everyone has had some real hurts happen to them.
How can some be positive and some be depressed and out of sorts?
The song we sing “Joy Unspeakable” is not the Bible, but it does give some insight about having joy in our lives.
Ist 4 verses start out:
I have found His grace in all complete.
I have found the pleasure I once craved.
I have found the joy no tongue can tell.
The joy that we seek and what the world cannot find is not in stuff, not in money, it is in Jesus.
It is so simple that most cannot find it.
The song says
“It is like a great o’er flowing well springing up within my soul.” “It is joy unspeakable and full of glory”
joy comes from the inside, because of who dwells inside of us.
I wish I could tell you that you come to Jesus and all your problems go away, your life suddenly falls perfectly in place and you live your life with joy in your life.
That would be not true. In fact, it would be a lie.
We still hurt- people still hurt us.
We still face trials- because we live in a sinful world.
We still lose love ones.
We still can have joy:
once we understand that God’s definition of joy is not the same as the world.
Once we understand that temporal things of this earth will pass away, but one day that the promises of God will be fulfilled.
The book of Philippians , the letter apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian church was a letter of encouragement for the group of God’s people to endure to the end.
To see the joy of the Lord active in their lives.
This is one of the prison epistles.
Meaning Paul wrote this letter while being imprisoned in Rome.
He wrote this letter while being chained to a imperial guard for about two years.
He wrote this not knowing if one day that they would decide to kill him.
You can understand that he had no privacy.
You understand that his payment for being a follower of Christ did not mean he was put up in the Jerusalem Hilton- far from it.
He gives us a glimpse of what joy unspeakable is like in your life.
V27- Paul tells the church to live a “life worthy of the gospel”.
He is saying to them Joy and worthy living go hand and hand.
He is saying to the community of believers that he is joyful, even though he is bound, because together they are impacting people’s lives with the gospel.
Paul is telling the Philippians church and he is telling each of us that joy comes from our relationship with Christ.
Not what stuff we have.
Not from the circumstances we are in.
Paul is talking about identity- as a believer , as a servant of Christ, we can have joy because we know this is not all there is.It will get better.
To those that do not know Christ, it will not get better.
Paul teaches us some lessons from prison.
He teaches us that trials endured can lead us to lasting joy.
James 1:2-3
“consider it pure joy , my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
He teaches us that we cannot let people or circumstances rob us of our joy and contentment.
There are people who fan the flames and help us grow.
Then there are people who throw water on everything that we do.
Do not let them rob you of your joy.
Being a Joy-full person is a choice.
Not based on circumstances, but who you are in Christ.
J-O-Y Jesus, others, and yourself. In that order.
Jesus is first in Paul’s life. He has a relationship not just head knowledge.
He is praying for others- he sees what is happening, the gospel is being preached, lives are being changed. The church is making an impact.
The devil is put on his heels because Paul understands happiness is Jesus and no matter what your going through, Jesus will be there for you.
He prays for himself. Weather he lives or dies, he belongs to the Lord, and he is determined that he will live a life pleasing to God, no matter what the circumstances he is in at the moment.
That takes faith
That takes trust
That is a lifestyle
unless you realize that God is a rewarder of those that serve Him.
How can you face your situation with hope and positive confidence?
They don’t have chaplains in the military. I am not a chaplain at Shaffner detention center in Harrisburg because they are necessarily religious and want all to have a knowledge of Jesus Christ. They have them because they realize that those who have something to put their trust and faith in deal better with crisis and imprisonment.
The Bible could have straightened out that for them.
People can change -“With God’s help” If I didn’t believe that I would not be a very good pastor.
When we lose our hope, we will lose our joy.
When we don’t see this world as temporary, we cannot enjoy the thought of heaven and eternity.
Question- what lessons can we learn from Paul’s imprisonment? Paul’s hard times?
I Be thankful of what God has already done
Paul was in a dingy dirty, rat infested prison with no privacy, and a circumstance that could of suck the life out of him. In fact fo most, that is exactly what would of happened.
Paul remembered his identity in Christ.
no matter how bad the circumstance, it was temporary.
Paul got his story out
Paul began remembering and writing to all that would listen that God had seen me through some tough times and that he chose to dwell on the positive, not the negative.
Things are temporary- people are eternal.
Let God use the tough circumstances for his purpose.
V12- “what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel”
unfairly judged.
Unfairly put in jail.
But his testimony is getting out.
People are being impacted by the gospel.
Your testimony gets stronger as you walk with Jesus through tough times.
Stop whining and start shining.
II. Allow God’s love to flow through you.(read from Bible)
V19- “and this is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
J-O-Y- Jesus-others-yourself.
He is praying for others, the love that he has comes from God. No one in themselves could under those circumstances think of others unless the love of God has filled their hearts and lives.
For Paul, being happy was seeing what God was doing in others lives, more importantly than what he was going through at the time.
“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”
to live is to do the work of Christ.
To die is to be with Christ.
Better for me to be with Christ, for the Phillipians, better he keep showing the love of Christ.
How meaningless our lives would be if this was all there is.
Spent your life gathering toys and stuff rather than reaching lives.
To some it is
For to me is money, to die is leave it all behind.”
Question for you; what are you living for?
Things, kids, spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, pleasures?
Unless you are living fo r Christ, there is going to be a lot of disappointment and hurts.
I’m living for Christ.
I’m wanting to share the love of Christ with those that don’t know Him.
I’m wanting to get my story out What God has done for me
III. Realize this is not the end
folks:
tough times are ahead. I am not a doom and gloom, but a lot has to change. Though he is going through uncertain times, he could be killed, stay in prison.
V20- “Christ will be exalted in my body, weather by life or by death.”
he understands eternity. This life is an open door to forever. You will spend eternity somewhere.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God.
Illustration
You can talk 120 words a minute, your brain can process about 480 words a minute, so I’ll be honest, when a conversation drags and I don’t know where it is going, my brain starts going ahead, so don’t let your brain run to fast here. Eternity is forever Where do you want to spend it? What are you doing for those you come in contact with?
Closing:
Joy doesn’t come in stuff. Period.
Happiness is only temporary with stuff.
Stuff breaks.
Stuff get lost.
Stuff happens.
Joy in Christ lasts forever
We are reminded everyday, we live in the last days.
On the news we see how people really are who don;t know Christ as Lord.
Real Joy allows us to be Joy-Full. In all circumstances.
Bill Bright- founder of Campus crusade for Christ once prayed “Kill me before I do anything to shame the name of Jesus Christ” do you love Jesus that much?
Joy comes from genuine love of Christ, reflected to God’s people and a lifestyle that wants to please Jesus.
Altar call:
Please rate so I will know what You thought.
